


Little Pickle

by hotelcortez



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3racha best music producers, Alternate Universe - Office, Bang Chan is Whipped, Co-workers, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Maknae line are besties, Oblivious Bang Chan, Strangers to Lovers, Sweet Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, felix bakes, felix's cookies, hints at side ships, jeongin is everyone's boss bc it's what he deserves, seungmin in a skirt bc he's hot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26800222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotelcortez/pseuds/hotelcortez
Summary: Chan is the new guy in the office, wondering which of his new co-workers keeps leaving gifts on his desk.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix
Comments: 22
Kudos: 365





	Little Pickle

**Author's Note:**

> hellooo, so it's been a hot minute since i've posted anything im sorry!!
> 
> i actually started writing this AGES ago, i just never got around to finishing it. it's inspired by the stay 2nd anniversary video that's set in the office, the one where jeongin is everyone's boss and felix gives chan flowers. i watched that video so many times istg
> 
> anywayys, please enjoy!! <33

Chan took a deep breath and stared up at the building he was about to walk into.

It was tall, made up of many floors and even more windows that displayed the large offices he would soon be navigating through. The logo of the company was imprinted in huge lettering along the side, almost like the Avengers tower.

Chan thought that maybe he’d be a lot less intimidated if he was about to start work in the Avengers tower.

It had been a long time since Chan had any kind of official job, his online music career had been enough to keep him going for a while. But then a huge entertainment company had listened to his music and reached out to him.

Chan knew he’d never forgive himself if he passed up such an amazing opportunity.

So, Chan found himself staring up at the JYP entertainment building, trying to will himself to walk in and introduce himself at the scary front desk. He’d been told that he’d have someone waiting for him there. Even the idea of having someone waiting for him scared Chan.

But Chan knew he was just being dramatic. So, he forced himself to take a deep breath, willing his feet to move forward and his legs to take him through the entrance doors. He was dressed nice, in a silk black button-up shirt and black trousers, all leading down to a pair of dress shoes.

It wasn’t his usual beanie and tank top, but he figured it might give him a bit more confidence on his first day.

He also figured it was less likely to get him fired.

The lady at the front desk gave Chan a once-over with her eyes when he approached, opening her mouth just as he stopped at the desk.

“First day?” she said, eyebrows raised and an amused expression on her face.

“Yeah,” Chan said, allowing himself to smile when the receptionist laughed, “How’d you know?”

“No one dresses like that around here unless they have someone to impress,” she shrugged, “And people on their first day are usually trying to impress everyone.”

“Well, you got me there,” Chan laughed, tilting his head as he adjusted the backpack on his shoulder, “I’m Bang Chan, the new producer. I was told someone would be waiting for me here?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right,” the lady said, tapping a few keys on her computer before she turned to smile at Chan, “Congratulations, Mr Bang. I’ve heard very good things about you.”

“Oh, thanks,” Chan said, ducking his gaze when he felt his ears turn red, the receptionist still giggling at him, “And just Chan is fine.”

“Okay, Chan-ah,” she said, pointing at a young boy stood at the end of the desk, leant against it whilst typing relentlessly into the phone in his hands, “That’s Jeongin. He’s in charge of your area. He’ll show you around and get you started.”

“Awesome, thanks,” Chan said, furrowing his eyebrows at the seemingly very young boy before he turned to walk towards him, “Thanks for all your help.”

The receptionist bid Chan goodbye, going back to her computer as Chan walked towards the employee who was supposed to be showing him around. ‘Jeongin’ looked even younger than Chan, with sparkly fox-like eyes and a wide face.

Jeongin also had bright red hair that fell over his forehead and was wearing a denim jacket over a white shirt. His legs were covered by black ripped jeans with chains hanging off the belt and he wore chunky lace-up boots on his feet.

He also had dark eyeshadow spread over both eyes that Chan couldn’t help but admire. He guessed the company really was open to letting people wear the whatever they wanted.

And also open to leaving what looked like very young people in charge.

Chan was only in his early twenties, but he guessed Jeongin was a few years younger than him, probably fresh out of school and determined to rack up as much experience in the music industry as possible.

Chan guessed he could only admire that.

So, he cleared his throat when he was only about a foot away from Jeongin, feeling less nervous when Jeongin looked up with a smile on his face and a kind look in his eyes.

“Um, hi,” Chan said, giving Jeongin a little wave, “I’m Bang Chan, the new producer.”

“Oh, right, hi!” Jeongin said, standing up straight so he could bow to Chan, “It’s great to meet you… um, can I call you hyung? The company has told me some amazing things about you.”

“Yes, hyung is fine,” Chan said, confirming his belief that Jeongin was younger than him, “So, are we going to be working together a lot or… or are you just showing me around?”

Chan tried to keep his voice neutral, but he could tell that Jeongin knew exactly what he meant. Chan didn’t want to be judgmental, but Jeongin definitely looked too young to be overseeing a whole department. Jeongin just grinned knowingly, nodding as he gestured at Chan to follow him.

“I know I look young, but I’m going to be running the department you’re in,” Jeongin said, leading Chan to the main staircase in the building and starting to head up, “Trust me when I say that the department is small and it won’t be, well, it won’t be that hard for me to manage at all.”

Chan tilted his head, “What do you mean by that?”

Jeongin seemed to think about the words for a few moments, his hands in his pockets as he continued to walk up the stairs.

“I don’t know what you’ve been told about this job,” Jeongin eventually said, “But you’ve probably heard that you’re part of a new side project.”

“Yes, I did know that,” Chan nodded, “I was actually going to ask what that ‘side project’ was.”

“Well the company would never word it this way,” Jeongin answered, giving Chan a look he couldn’t decipher, “But JYPE basically wants to see what will happen if they put a load of young people, who know all the current trends and stuff, in charge of everything.”

“Wait,” Chan stopped, feeling confused as Jeongin faltered on the step above him, staring worriedly down at Chan, “So, we’re some kind of musical experiment?”

“Exactly,” Jeongin said, coming down to stand on the same step as Chan, “JYPE has basically found a bunch of talented young people, stuck us into this empty corridor, given us some offices and told us to go crazy. We get to make whatever music we want and they’ll review it.”

“Oh, wow,” Chan blinked, unsure how he felt about the idea or about how this was supposed to be his job, “That is crazy.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jeongin said, biting his lip, “But I hope you’ll stay. It still pays well and you’ll have maximum job security no matter what. And if we want this to work, we could really use someone like you on the team.”

“No, don’t worry, I’m not thinking about quitting,” Chan said, feeling his chest bloom at Jeongin’s relieved smile, “I want to at least try this first.”

“Good,” Jeongin said, gesturing at Chan to start walking again as they continued upwards, “Thanks so much, hyung.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Chan said, “I’m sure you’re just as nervous about this as I am. But just, out of curiosity, what would happen if this project didn’t succeed?”

“I’m not too sure,” Jeongin shrugged, giving Chan a quick glance, “I guess if we _are_ successful then we’ll all be promoted together and given our own official spot in the company. If not, then it’s likely that we’ll all be separated into our different departments and we’ll have to work under managers, which is what some of us were already doing.”

“Okay, right,” Chan nodded, processing the words, “And how many of us are there?”

“Eight in total,” Jeongin said, finally turning off at the top of one of the staircases and starting to lead Chan through what seemed like a maze of corridors, “That includes the two of us. You’ll meet the other six today.”

“And you’re in charge?” Chan said, somewhat amused that his boss was barely an adult.

“I mean, yeah,” Jeongin grinned, “I’m also a vocalist, so I’ve been a trainee for a while and I know how this company works like the back of my hand. So, I guess it made sense that I could help organise everyone, alongside my unofficial assistant.”

Chan cocked a brow, “Unofficial assistant?”

“Yeah, speaking of,” Jeongin said, suddenly veering off the corridor and violently throwing open a door marked ‘Break Room’ with a determined, almost scary look on his face.

Chan peeked his head over Jeongin’s shoulder as the door slammed open, revealing a small room with a few sofas, a coffee machine and a tall boy who looked like Jeongin had just given a heart attack.

“Hwang Hyunjin,” Jeongin said, an amused grin playing over his lips, “Back to work.”

“Yes, Innie,” the boy said, quickly picking up a coffee and a clipboard from the counter and scurrying through the door Jeongin was holding open for him, a sheepish look on his face.

“Hyunjin-hyung,” Jeongin said, gesturing between him and Chan as they continued on down the corridor, “Meet Chan-hyung, he’s our newest producer.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, hyung,” Hyunjin said, bowing to Chan and almost spilling his coffee, “I hope we work well together.”

“Me too,” Chan said, smiling at the slightly-shy, immensely-beautiful look on Hyunjin’s face.

Hyunjin was clearly very attractive; with slim eyes, clear skin and heart-shaped lips sparkling on his face. He had long blond hair tied half-up in a ponytail and was wearing a pink t-shirt, white jeans and baby blue trainers.

He chatted shyly with Chan on the rest of the way to their offices, explaining that he was helping Jeongin whilst they tried to get the project set up, but that he also liked to dance and wanted to try producing his own music one day.

Hyunjin practically lit up when Chan offered to teach him, looking like a child as he bounced along the corridor. Chan didn’t know if he was going to have the urge to adopt all his co-workers, but he certainly didn’t dislike the feeling.

It was then that they finally arrived at an almost deserted hallway filled with what looked like mostly offices. It was clear that some personal details had been added, with some plushies smiling on desks and a few posters on the walls, but the place was still very bare, practically begging to be lived-in and decorated by some new people.

Chan guessed that was exactly what they were there for; to provide something new.

They soon stopped at one of the only closed doors, Chan raising an eyebrow at the beat echoing from inside the room. He could hear people inside messing around with some melodies, feeling both Hyunjin and Jeongin’s eyes turn to him as he listened.

“So,” Jeongin said, folding his arms and leaning against the door, “This will be your new office. And inside are the two producers you’ll be working with.”

Chan’s eyes widened in surprise, “Two other producers?”

“Yep,” Hyunjin nodded, looking down at his clipboard, “Their names are Changbin-hyung and Jisung. They’ve been in the company a while, but haven’t had a lot of opportunities because they’re young and didn’t have a lot of experience before they came here.”

“But they show a lot of potential,” Jeongin carried on, “The company thinks that, with someone like you to help them, they could produce some great things. Do you think you’re up for it?”

Chan felt a sudden surge of confidence, thinking of another two young musicians in the room, chasing their dreams and trying to express themselves, needing experience like Chan’s to help them. Chan nodded in complete determination, his skin tingling at the way Hyunjin and Jeongin grinned at him.

“I can do it,” Chan said, suddenly very, very determined to make the project succeed.

“That’s the spirit,” Jeongin said, stepping back from the door so he could slam it open, making at least five people jump as he stared into the room, “Chan-hyung, meet Jisung-hyung and Changbin-hyung.”

Chan quickly recovered from his surprise to step past Jeongin, entering the room and meeting eyes with two boys who were blinking at him in half-shock, half-excitement.

The room they were in was pretty small, but obviously well-equipped with three desks all covered in recording equipment and a recording booth at the back of the room. One of the desks, the one being sat at by a chubby-cheeked boy, was covered in papers, the boy’s elbows planted all over them.

“Um, hi,” Chan cleared his throat, giving them a small wave, “I’m Chan. It’s nice to meet you.”

One of the boys was quick to stand up, straightening his posture and walking over to Chan with a confident stance.

“Hey,” he said, a shiny smile on his face, “I’m Changbin.”

Chan smiled back, immediately taking a liking the way Changbin looked. He had blond hair parted just above his forehead and was wearing an oversized blazer over a plain white t-shirt. He had at least four necklaces on, his ears twinkling with earrings and his fingers covered by rings.

He also had a very sharp chin and a very intimidating look in his eye, but Chan knew that Changbin looked like exactly the kind of person who put all their emotion into their music.

He was, no doubt, an exceptional lyricist.

And that led Chan to the second boy, who was quick to scurry over and give Chan his own wave.

“Hey, hyung!” he chirped, “I’m Jisung.”

Jisung was clearly younger, but carried himself in a way that somehow seemed mature. He had dark e-boy hair that was streaked with blond, a silver stud through his eyebrow and another through his tongue. His whole frame was practically engulfed by a large grey hoodie with rips in the front, but he pulled it off well, looking like most of the music producers Chan had met.

There was some part of Chan that could admit he was really excited.

He smiled to himself as he realised it, letting Changbin and Jisung lead him over to his desk and start showing him everything.

He took an immediate liking to the knowledge Changbin and Jisung both clearly had, their creativity shining through in the way they described a few things. It was obvious they were very ready to get started, and both positively teeming with ideas.

Chan decided he couldn’t wait to start working with them.

It was also great to realise that he already had potential friends in the company, Chan just didn’t realise he might end up gaining something more.

It was then that Chan looked up, grinning when he realised Jeongin and Hyunjin were both watching the three of them, matching smiles on both their faces.

“Well, it appears you guys get along,” Jeongin said, an amused look in his eyes that soon faded away to relief.

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said, relief in his own eyes, “Thank _god_.”

Chan was about to respond when there was a sudden knock at the door, all of them whipping round to see another young boy stood in the doorway and staring at all of them.

“I heard there was fresh meat in the building,” he said, his gaze scrutinising over them all, “I came to say hi.”

“Seungmin!” Hyunjin said, stepping aside to let Seungmin come and stand between him and Jeongin, “Come on in.”

Seungmin stepped under one of the office lights, his eyes immediately finding Chan and raking over him whilst Chan did the same back.

It was obvious what Seungmin’s job was by the camera hanging around his neck, but that wasn’t the only thing Chan noticed about him.

Seungmin had jet black hair, smothered all over his forehead and practically covering his eyes, the fringe sitting on the rim of his glasses. There was also a silver septum piercing hanging from his nose, bringing out the dark in his eyes.

He was wearing a denim blouse tucked into a high-waisted, red tartan skirt. Fishnet tights covered his legs and he had red converse on his feet, small white socks poking out from underneath.

But, easily, the most distinctive part of Seungmin was his facial expression. Chan didn’t know what it was, but Seungmin looked like the smartest person in the room, his gaze making him look like he was staring right into someone’s soul.

Chan didn’t know how he felt about that, but he supposed it was necessary for photographers to have a good eye.

“Hey,” Chan eventually broke the silence, smiling at Seungmin, “I’m Chan, but you can call me hyung.”

“Hey, hyung,” Seungmin said, looking unexpectedly soft when he smiled back, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you,” Chan said, pausing before he turned back to Jeongin, “So, I’ve met you and four others, who are the other two?”

“That’d be the choreographers,” Jeongin said, “They’re supposed to use the office next door, but they spend most of their time in the empty dance studios.”

“You’ll probably meet them later,” Hyunjin joined in, “They usually come here for their breaks.”

“Wait a second,” Jeongin cut back in, looking thoughtful for a second before he looked at Chan, “You’re Australian, right?”

Chan furrowed his brow, “Yeah, I am. Why?”

“One of the choreographers is Australian too,” Jeongin said, Chan immediately perking up in his seat, “He came to Korea a couple of years ago. He still goes by his English name, Felix.”

“Wow,” Chan said, unable to stop the excitement swirling in his chest, “Now I _really_ want to meet him.”

“I can text them both to come down,” Hyunjin said, pulling out his phone.

Chan was about to tell Hyunjin not to bother, that he was patient enough to for whenever they were ready, but he was interrupted by the sound of a door being thrown open in the office next door to them, making them all jump.

“Jeez,” Jisung exclaimed, almost falling out his seat at the loud bang the door made against the wall, “What is with you guys and slamming doors around here?”

Chan couldn’t help but wonder the same thing, jumping again when there was a sudden shout of _“Where the hell is that stupid whiteboard?!”_ reverberating through the walls.

All eyes travelled to the whiteboard in the corner of the office they were in.

The whiteboard that had apparently been stolen from the dancers.

The whiteboard that the dancers were apparently looking for.

“Well,” Seungmin muttered, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the footsteps stomping down the corridor towards them, “I think you’re about to meet Minho-hyung.”

“Brace yourself,” Changbin said, hunching his shoulders as they all ducked when their own door was slammed open.

Chan looked up once the door was done ricocheting against the wall, catching sight of a boy stood firm in the doorway. He was ridiculously good-looking, with a feline face and high cheekbones, all accompanied by a head of thick dark-blue hair.

He wore an oversized navy t-shirt with black cargo pants clattering with the various chains hanging from his belt. His shoes were thick black trainers with red laces that clunked against the floor as he stalked towards the whiteboard that his eyes had zeroed in on the moment he’d entered the room.

“I should have known you losers would steal this again,” Minho said, picking up the eraser and looking to Changbin for permission before he started to rub away the various words that the lyricists had scribbled down, “Lix and I need this to organise our formations and we can’t do that when you lot keep stealing it.”

Chan’s ears perked up at the word ‘Lix’, undeniably curious about the fellow Australian that he was going to be working with.

“Hey,” Chan managed to say, snapping Minho’s attention to him, “I’m Chan, the new producer.”

“Oh, hey,” Minho grinned at him, looking ethereal as ever as he winked at Chan, “I’m Minho, one of the choreographers. That’s Felix.”

Everyone startled when Minho gestured a thumb towards the doorway, all of them turning around to see someone else leant against the frame, watching them all.

Chan felt his heart jump into his throat.

He shot up from his seat, standing up and staring at what was probably the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

‘Felix’ turned to stare back at him and Chan could have sworn that time stopped.

They both looked right at each other, eyes raking all over one another, Chan hardly daring to breathe as he took in the boy before him.

Felix was lithe, extremely lithe, his tiny body showcased perfectly by the black crop-top and black sweatpants he was wearing. The only colourful part of his outfit was his bright red hair and glittery eyeshadow, his nails covered by chipped black nail polish.

He had a ring through his left nostril, both his ears practically dripping with bright silver earrings and his elf-like face covered with a scattering of freckles that might have just been the most ethereal thing Chan had ever seen.

Chan could feel his mouth going dry, his hands starting to sweat, his mind failing to supply him with the words that he’d need to say hello.

Eventually, Chan realised he must have been staring because Felix ducked his gaze, a slight pink covering his cheeks that Chan positively melted it.

It was then that Chan thought he might be embarrassing Felix. And he also might have been embarrassing himself if the way everyone had raised their eyebrows at him was anything to go by.

“Um, hi,” Chan cleared his throat, dropping his eyes before he looked shyly back up at Felix, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Chan decided to speak in English, smiling at the way the fellow-Australian’s eyes widened at what must have been a familiar accent he hadn’t heard in a long time.

“It’s lovely to meet you too,” Felix said, also in English, and Chan could have sworn his heart stopped beating at the unnervingly deep accent that rumbled from Felix’s throat, “I didn’t realise you were Aussie?”

“Yeah, I came here just under 10 years ago,” Chan said, “I heard you came here a couple of years ago, but I, um, I didn’t realise you had an accent like _that_.”

Felix blushed again, smiling at Chan knowingly like it was hardly the first time someone had commented on his unnaturally deep voice.

“He sounds super badass, right?” Jisung perked up, reverting back to Korean but still clearly able to understand the English that Chan and Felix had been speaking, “We’ve been trying to talk into him rapping in one of our tracks for months, but he hasn’t agreed yet.”

“Stop saying ‘ _yet_ ’, it’s not going to happen,” Felix said, rolling his eyes when both Changbin and Jisung looked at him knowingly, teasing him with their faces like they knew they’d give in soon.

Changbin even winked, gesturing his head at Chan as if to convey a hidden message to Felix. Chan furrowed his brows, _was Changbin implying that Felix might be more likely to relent now that Chan was also a producer?_

Chan shook the thought away. No, it was way too early for any of that.

Instead, Chan turned back to Felix, smiling when he spoke to him, “Well, I don’t want to pressure you.” Chan said, “And I know we’ve just met, but your voice really would sound amazing to music.”

There was a second for the words to process, but then Felix turned as red as his hair, looking to the floor as everyone started squealing around him. Jeongin and Seungmin were quick to grab him, both squeezing his elbows and poking at his sides and squeaking about how Felix was already flustered around the new guy.

Chan could only laugh, trying to ignore the way his heart fluttered at how red Felix’s ears had gone. Felix looked positively adorable and Chan didn’t know if it was good to already be thinking that way about one of his co-workers.

It was only a couple more minutes before the room calmed down, Felix looking up at Chan and giving him a shy little ‘thanks’ before shaking Jeongin and Seungmin off him. Chan just nodded back, not wanting to make Felix more embarrassed.

“Well, if this cute little moment is over,” Minho’s voice rang through the room, making Chan turn to look at him, “Lix, we really need to get back to work.”

With that, Minho used one hand to grab the whiteboard, dragging it behind him as he stalked towards Felix and used his other hand to grab him by the wrist, tugging both his loads towards the doorway.

“Bye everyone!” Felix called, smiling and waving at them all as Minho accidentally bumped him against the doorway.

Everyone called bye back, most of them giggling at Minho’s muttered cursing and Felix’s willingness to just go along with it. Felix waited until he was almost completely out the room before he met eyes with Chan, calling out an English “Bye Channie-hyung!” before he was whisked out of sight.

All eyes in the room turned to Chan, all his co-workers seeming very eager to talk about what had just happened. But Chan ignored them all, too busy focusing in the spot that Felix had been standing in only moments before.

It may have been for all the wrong reasons, but suddenly Chan was very, _very_ excited to start his new job.

~

As it turns out, Chan was right to be excited.

A month at the company turned out to be one of the best months of his life.

Chan’s intuition had been right about Changbin and Jisung; the two of them were incredible producers and they all got on like a house on fire. Within a week, they’d coined the name 3racha and, although Chan hated it at first, the name stuck and made its way through the company like a juicy rumour.

They were already renowned for being an excellent team and the company was already impressed with the progress they’d made in their music.

Chan was truly happy in his job.

He got on with the rest of his co-workers too. Jeongin was a snarky boss, but he was efficient and motivated people well. Chan had also heard that he was doing well in his vocal training, as well as Hyunjin in his dancing.

And then there were Seungmin and Minho, who were also famous in the company for their dancing and singing. Chan had been a little intimidated by them at first, but they were all fast friends and Chan wasn’t surprised when he soon found that all he wanted to do was baby them.

And then there was Felix.

Chan was disappointed to realise that him and Felix didn’t have a lot of time to act on the magical moment that seemed to have happened between them. Him and Felix still got to talk a lot and they saw each other in the company all the time, but they usually always talked about work or Australia, there wasn’t much time to think about anything more.

That didn’t mean that Chan was any less infatuated.

Chan had learnt that Felix was an extremely pure and bubbly character. Felix let out little squeals when he was excited and he loved imitating cartoon characters and his sense of humour was borderline childish, but Chan loved him for it. Any second he spent with Felix was another second his heart was light.

Another thing Chan had noticed, much to his own chagrin, was that Felix appeared to love skin-ship. Felix hadn’t initiated much with Chan, probably because they hadn’t known each other for long, but when Felix was with Jeongin and Seungmin, whom he’d apparently known for years, he was always clinging to them in some way or another.

And Jeongin and Seungmin, who were known more for their sarcasm than their affection, always let Felix cling.

Chan had a feeling he wasn’t the only one who was whipped for Felix.

If only the month they’d spent at the company together had granted them more time. Chan was starting to feel like it was too late for him and Felix to become anything more than what they were, that the initial sparkle had worn off and the two were destined to be no more than friendly co-workers.

Chan couldn’t say he wasn’t disappointed, but he understood. Sometimes things just weren’t meant to be.

That was until Chan arrived to work one morning. He was early, earlier than usual, dressed in an oversized black hoodie and a cap, a green tea held snug in his hand. The office was empty when he walked in, making him the first to arrive.

Or so Chan thought.

He had to manoeuvre around Changbin’s and Jisung’s desks to get to his own. His desk was the biggest and was at the back of the room, behind all the awkwardly placed furniture they’d managed to squeeze in the small office.

The space definitely looked more personalised now, with Jisung’s guitar propped up in the corner and Changbin’s Pokémon figurines somehow spread over everyone’s desks. Chan had even hung an Australian flag on the wall, adding an extra pop of colour to the room.

But soon Chan was distracted by an entirely new set of colours, a set of yellows and pinks and purples that had been left on his desk.

Chan blinked.

He stared at the small packet propped neatly on his desk.

Chan blinked again.

Someone had left him _flowers_?

Chan was quick to drop his bag by his desk, carefully putting his tea down before he dropped himself into his chair, slapping his hands either side of the adorable bouquet that was undoubtably for him.

Chan felt something start to swirl in his chest, a surprised smile playing over his face as he tenderly reached out to take the flowers.

From what Chan could tell, they were mostly tulips and carnations with a few daisies spread around. They smelt like a fresh new day, with petals and colours that made Chan feel warm and fuzzy inside. He sniffed them before putting them down, startling a little when a note fell onto the desk.

Chan stared at the note for a few seconds, trying to process it before he quickly reached out and snatched it up, only half-noticing the beautiful pink card it was written on.

Chan could hear his heart beat in his ears as he unfolded the paper, wanting even something as small as a clue to tell him who could have left him such a gift. He was disappointed, but still immensely happy, when he read the words that had been written for him.

_Hope you have an amazing day!! <3_

Happiness shot like lightning through Chan’s chest.

He had no idea who had decided to be so nice to him, but it felt wonderful. It felt like it would be physically impossible for Chan to have a bad day now that he had the flowers and the note. He smiled to himself as he read it over and over, glad that he’d decided to come in early and have this moment for himself. If Jisung or Changbin had seen, they would have teased Chan silly.

But Chan couldn’t bring himself to think about that, not when he felt like he had gold glittering under his skin. His chest was blooming, his head light, his whole body relaxed into his chair.

It was then that Chan realised that he not only had someone who liked him, but he also had a new mystery to crack.

Chan grinned.

He was going to find whoever had left him flowers.

And he was going to kiss them.

~

A week passed and Chan was completely unsuccessful in his mission.

He was, admittedly, quite disappointed. He’d been half-expecting that whoever it was would materialise from the woodwork and ask him out or something.

But, unfortunately, the gift-giver appeared to be shy and Chan was left to stare wistfully at the bouquet now on his window-sill at home and wonder what beautiful person had left him such a beautiful gift.

After a week of no more gifts or any sigh on an admirer, Chan had given up and was half-convinced the whole thing was just some kind of fluke.

That was until he walked into work one morning to see both Changbin and Jisung hunched excitedly over his desk, giggling to each other.

“And what is going on here?” Chan asked once he was a couple feet behind them, making them both squeal and jump to face him, “Why have you two developed such a sudden interest in my desk?”

“Don’t scare us like that, hyung!” Jisung was the first to answer, his eyes wide and a hand clutched to his chest, “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Well, then maybe you’ll learn to keep to your own desk,” Chan raised an eyebrow, “What’s so interesting about mine, anyway?”

“It appears our hyung has a secret admirer,” Changbin drawled, his voice so sickly sweet that Chan would have been annoyed by it if he wasn’t distracted by the actual words he was saying.

“What?” Chan asked, his backpack falling off his shoulder with a thunk and his mind immediately reeling back to the flowers from last week.

Changbin and Jisung shared a look, their eyes teeming with mischief before they both stepped away from the desk, revealing a big Tupperware pot with a heart shape note taped to the top.

Chan’s eyes instantly fell onto it, his feet moving of their own accord as he approached the desk. His eyes widened, his heart practically exploding when he realised the box was full of what looked like homemade brownies.

“Oh my god,” Chan said, carefully reaching out to run his fingers over the edge of the lid, “Someone actually baked for me?”

“It seems like someone _really_ likes you, hyung,” Jisung teased, suddenly appearing at Chan’s shoulder.

“Let’s hope that they’re _really_ good at baking,” Changbin appeared at Chan’s other shoulder, already reaching out for the box.

“Hey!” Chan slapped Changbin’s hand away, making him yelp, “ _My_ secret admirer, _my_ brownies!”

“Hyung, no fair!” Changbin whined. Chan turned to face him, about to respond when he saw the thoughtful look on Jisung’s face.

“So, you admit it?” Jisung said, folding his arms and tilting his head at Chan, “You admit that you have a secret admirer?”

Chan immediately felt himself blush, his chest once more blooming with that fluffy feeling he’d had when he’d realised someone had actually made the effort to make him brownies. He smiled shyly at the thought, looking up at Jisung with eyes glittering with happiness.

“I mean,” Chan gestured at the tub behind him, “It’s kind of hard to deny.”

“Oh my god, hyung!” Jisung immediately threw himself at Chan, wrapping clumsy arms around his shoulders, “That’s so cute!”

“Yeah,” Chan laughed, pulling Jisung tight against his chest, “I guess it is.”

“I bet it’d be even cuter if you read the note, hyung,” Changbin spoke up from the side, his eyes endeared but still on the box of brownies.

Chan suspected that Changbin just wanted a brownie more then he wanted to know what was in the note, but Chan couldn’t deny that he was curious so he decided not to point it out. Instead, he let Jisung go, giving him a pat on the back before reaching out to take the heart-shaped card into his hands.

The card was light in Chan’s fingers, a smile appearing on his face when he noticed all the stars doodled up the side. He opened it after another impatient huff from Changbin, unable to hold back what was probably the most embarrassing little squeal he’d ever made.

_Hope this adds a little sweetness to your day. Take care <333_

Chan felt his heart melt like ice cream in his chest, his whole-body tingling with what could only be described as pure happiness.

Someone had made _Chan_ brownies, hoping that it would make his day sweeter.

That was the cutest thing anyone had ever done for him.

Chan could also tell that Changbin and Jisung had both read the note when they both started screeching over Chan’s shoulder, their voices loud and teasing as they screamed about how _hyung has a crush!!!_

Chan didn’t think he could even deny their words, not with the huge grin plastered over his face that he knew wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. His mind was still screaming at him to find whoever the gift-giver was and squish them in his arms, but Chan knew that could wait.

Because, right now, Chan wanted a brownie.

He gave one to Changbin and one to Jisung, all of them sitting down at their desks and shouting about how good they tasted. Chan couldn’t deny it; whoever his secret admirer was, they could _bake_.

One bite of brownie and Chan was already in heaven.

But it was when Jeongin and Hyunjin walked in the room, and the three producers were on their second brownie each, that Chan said something that would end up helping him find his mystery-baker more than he ever realised.

“These brownies are amazing,” Chan said, licking his lips, “But I always kinda preferred cookies.”

The words were enough to send Changbin, Jisung and Hyunjin into an extremely heated debate about what deserts were truly superior, but Chan couldn’t help but notice that Jeongin stayed silent.

In fact, Jeongin did a lot more than that. Jeongin stared quizzically at the brownies like he knew something, like he was putting pieces together in his mind, like he knew exactly what was going on.

That was when Chan realised that his secret admirer must have been a lot closer than he’d ever thought.

~

Chan didn’t know why he was surprised when, a week later, he came into work to find a box of cookies on his desk, accompanied by a little pink teddy bear holding a note that read:

_I heard you preferred cookies <3_

Chan couldn’t help but smile and shake his head, staring at the note like it could give him all the answers in the world. But, unfortunately, the note could not give him the one answer he was looking for; who the hell had left it?

It was pretty obvious that it was someone in their small ragtag group of eight. No one else in the company really knew who Chan was (asides from him being the new producer) or knew where the rest of the group worked. The only ones who did know were the higher-ups and Chan largely suspected that they were not the ones baking him cookies.

That just left Chan’s 7 co-workers, who he was starting to narrow down to figure it out. Changbin and Jisung both swore up and down that it wasn’t them and they seemed just as committed to solving the mystery as Chan was, so it couldn’t have been them.

There was a part of Chan that suspected Jeongin, his mind constantly straying back to the look that had been on his face when he’d spotted the brownies. But something about that didn’t sit right with Chan; Jeongin was blunt, upfront with his feelings, he was not the type to leave mysterious gifts and dance around his identity.

There was also something about the way Jeongin looked at Hyunjin, Chan suspected it wasn’t himself that Jeongin was really crushing on.

But that still left a few people Chan could suspect.

A few people who could be the angel who was slowly worming their way into Chan’s heart.

Unfortunately, Chan had a meeting that morning, so he couldn’t spend that long dwelling on it. All he could do was a grab a cookie from the container and eat it on the way to his meeting, hopefully not getting too distracted on the way. The managers he was meeting with had been thoroughly impressed by Chan, Changbin and Jisung’s progress so far, Chan didn’t want to endanger that.

So, he enjoyed his cookie as quickly as he could as he made his way down the maze of corridors in the company building. He was going to be ridiculously early, but he’d rather that than late.

But it was when Chan was making his way past the dance studios, a half-eaten cookie in his hand, that a distraction came in the best form possible.

Chan was just making his way around a corner, his mind so focused on the absolute deliciousness in his hand that he didn’t notice someone coming the other way. Not until their chests were slamming together and they were both rocked back by the force at which they hit each other, exclamations leaving their lips.

“Oh my god!” Chan said, shaking his head to clear his vision and taking a deep breath to get past his surprise before he looked up, a gasp leaving his lips.

Chan could have collapsed right there and then.

Standing across from Chan, an equally shocked look on his face, was Felix.

Felix, despite having just slammed into someone, looked as effortlessly beautiful as he always did. It was obvious he’d just been dancing. His red hair was messy and sticking up in every direction and his face was coated with a thin layer of sweat, but he somehow still looked immensely attractive.

He was wearing a hot pink t-shirt with a pair of patterned black sports leggings. His piercings were glinting against his sweat and Chan didn’t know how it was possible for anyone to look so hot.

But then Felix’s gaze dropped and Chan noticed him staring at the half-eaten cookie Chan had forgotten he was still holding.

“Oh, hey Felix,” Chan said, rubbing at the back of his neck and giggling awkwardly, “Sorry for running into you. I must have been going too fast.”

“No, it’s not your fault, hyung,” Felix said, his smile managing to light up the whole corridor, “I was just thinking about some choreography and I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Ah, that’s understandable,” Chan nodded, “I’m sure choreography to you is like lyrics to me, so I can’t fault you on that.”

“I guess so,” Felix said, a happy look on his face as he brushed some hair out his eyes, “Speaking of lyrics, I’ve heard the company is really happy with your music. That’s really great. If this project does succeed, we’ll have a lot to thank you for.”

“We’ll have a lot to thank _each other_ for,” Chan was quick to say, not missing the small flash of shyness in Felix’s eyes, “Honestly, you guys are all so talented. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”

“Yeah, you lead us well,” Felix said, eyes sparkling as Chan blushed, “I know Jeongin’s the temporary boss or whatever, but he’s so young and you do a really good job in helping him out.”

Chan felt warmth explode in his chest, happiness tingling under his skin as the words sank in, “Ah, you flatter me too much.”

Felix giggled at that and the sound was enough to make Chan feel he was about to melt into a puddle on the floor. Felix just had a way of making him feel so light, so carefree, so endeared by Felix and the world around him.

Realising he might actually be able to melt, Chan took a bite of his cookie to distract himself. That was when Felix’s eyes once more dropped down to look at it and something knowing flashed in his gaze.

“Did you find somewhere to buy yourself a cookie, hyung?” There was something lingering in Felix’s voice, something Chan couldn’t quite place, but he answered all the same.

“No, someone made it for me,” Chan said, holding the cookie up proudly, “I don’t know who, but I’d love to thank them. They’re a really good baker.”

Something in Felix’s face seemed to come alight at that, his lips pulling up at the corners and something new shining in his eyes. He looked almost pleased, almost relieved in a way Chan couldn’t figure out.

Suspicion started whispering in the back of Chan’s mind, but he pushed it down, not wanting to ruin his conversation with Felix.

“I’m glad you like them,” Felix said, smiling before his eyes travelled off the cookie and to behind Chan’s shoulder down the corridor, “But I really need to get going, I promised Minho-hyung I’d meet him to write down our new choreography 10 minutes ago.”

“Better not keep him waiting them,” Chan smilee, moving out Felix’s way, “I have a meeting to get to anyways.”

“Ah, have fun,” Felix said, grinning in a way that suggested he knew Chan was going to be doing anything _but_ having fun at a company meeting, “I’ll see you later?”

“See you later,” Chan said, squeezing Felix’s shoulder as he made his way past, “You can take one of the cookies from my desk if you want one.”

“No need,” Felix said, turning back and giving Chan a look that suddenly had his heart racing, “If you like them, that’s all that matters.”

With that, Felix whisked away down the corridor and disappeared round a corner, leaving Chan with even more questions than he’d started off with.

Voices immediately started gossiping in Chan’s mind, whispering about how suspicious Felix was acting and, even more importantly, how he looked so pretty every time Chan saw him that Chan wanted to melt into a pile of goo.

But there was something more to it, something that somehow made the cookie taste even nicer on Chan’s tongue. Chan felt like he still had a few puzzle pieces missing, but Felix always seemed to fill in those blanks for him.

Chan felt special whenever he was with Felix.

Unfortunately, that special feeling didn’t last for long, because soon Chan walked into the meeting and was once more lost to the words of his managers. He paid attention as best as he could, and soon forgot all about Felix and the cookies as he fell into his work.

Once the meeting was over, he walked back to his office with stacks of papers in his hands, a new melody playing through his mind and a million things he needed to do. He’d, unfortunately, forgotten about the cookies on his desk and almost jumped out his skin when he walked back into the office to find an even bigger crowd around his desk than before.

“I’m going to have to put in a request for a private office soon,” Chan said once he’d gotten over his surprise, an amused grin pulling at his own lips when his co-workers all flinched at the sound of his voice from behind them.

They whipped round as he walked over, Chan noticing the ever-curious and ever-mischievous faces of Changbin, Jisung, Minho and Seungmin.

He brushed past them to put all his papers down, his lips quirking up at the pot of cookies still sitting innocently where he’d left them. Chan was pleased to notice that it didn’t look like his co-workers had stolen any yet.

“Your admirer is getting smarter, hyung,” Jisung said as he ambled his way back to his own desk, his face set in a grin and his eyebrows raised, “And sweeter.”

“Yeah, you actually did get the cookies this time,” Changbin joined in, Chan pointedly ignoring him, “I wonder what you’ll get next.”

Chan didn’t respond to that, too busy thinking about the same thing as he pretended to organise his stuff. Whoever his admirer was, they certainly were getting smarter… and sneakier. Chan was absolutely none the wiser on who they were.

They only clues Chan had was that they weren’t Jisung or Changbin, he strongly suspected it wasn’t Jeongin, but Jeongin always seemed to have this smug look on his face that suggested he knew exactly who it was.

Chan didn’t know how, but Jeongin seemed to be friends with the extremely sweet, extremely good baker that Chan was determined to find.

“Wait a minute,” Seungmin’s voice cut cleanly through Chan’s thoughts, attracting the attention of everyone in the room as they all turned to him, “Chan-hyung actually has a secret admirer?”

Chan instantly felt himself blush, embarrassment coursing through him at the thought of the whole office finding out. But he knew there was no way of hiding it, not when Seungmin and everyone else had literally just been staring at the evidence left on his desk.

“Well, either that or this office has a baking-fairy who only targets Chan-hyung,” Jisung said, idly spinning back and forth in his chair, “Whoever it was left some brownies last week too.”

“And some flowers the week before,” Chan muttered, half hoping the others wouldn’t hear him as he thought it over in his head. But he’d forgotten how nosey his co-workers were and, only a second later, they were all squealing and shouting about not being told about the flowers.

“You’ve literally got someone leaving you flowers!” Minho practically screeched, looking offended and jealous and over-excited all at the same time, “And you didn’t come and show this off to us!”

“Do you think I have a death wish?!” Chan shot back, “You guys are all so nosey! I didn’t need to be encouraging that.”

“Wow, I’m actually so offended right now,” Changbin said, his tone jokingly sharp and his face twisted in mock offence, “We’re a team here, hyung! How are we ever supposed to trust you again?”

“Don’t be dramatic, Bin,” Chan made a show of rolling his eyes, “Besides, I’m not remotely closer to finding out who the person is, so you haven’t missed anything.”

The room seemed to content itself with that, all of them nodding and leaning back into their chairs as they thought. Chan could see everyone’s minds running, everyone trying to put the pieces together to figure out who in their group could be the infamous gift-giver.

Chan had the very real thought that the culprit could have been in the room right then, but he kept it to himself. He figured that they were obviously shy, and wouldn’t respond well to being called out in front of anyone else.

But then Seungmin strode his way to Chan’s desk, ignoring Chan’s eyes on him as he sat on it. He was wearing a black pleated skirt and his bare legs dangled over the edge, his fingers reaching out for the pink note on top of the cookies and pulling it towards himself. He stared down at the hand-writing, a knowing grin appearing on his face as he read it.

Chan watched him the whole time, his eyes widening when Seungmin’s face gave away that he definitely knew something.

“You know who it is, don’t you?” Chan couldn’t stop himself from blurting, all eyes flicking to him as Seungmin smirked down at him, “Oh my god, you do!”

“Seungmin-ah!” Minho rushed over, stopping when he was only an inch from Seungmin’s face and staring right into his eyes, “Speak!”

Seungmin didn’t even flinch, just smirked harder as he stared right back at Minho, practically daring him to challenge him.

“I might have a little idea,” Seungmin said, his voice drawling and tone playful, “But it really isn’t my place to meddle.”

“It’s not meddling!” Minho was quick to say, voicing Chan’s own thoughts, “Don’t you think it’s not fair that this person knows who Chan-hyung is but Chan-hyung doesn’t know who they are?”

“Yeah,” Changbin was quick to join in, “It’s not meddling if we’re just making the playing field more even!”

“If I know anything about this person,” Seungmin said, his fingers reaching down to trace over the note, “And I do. Then I know that they’ll reveal themselves when they’re ready. Until then,” Seungmin turned back down to look at Chan, “You should just make the most of these little gifts, because they’d want you to enjoy them.”

Chan knew there was no way he could really argue with that. And, even if he did, he was very unlikely to be able to win against someone like Seungmin. Seungmin was smart as a whip and clearly knew what was best. He was intuitive in a way Chan wasn’t, so Chan figured if there was anyone he could trust, it was Seungmin.

Besides, if Seungmin could solve the mystery, then who was to say that Chan couldn’t either?

“Alright,” Chan leaned back in his chair with a huff, meeting Seungmin’s eyes in a silent thanks before he pulled the cookie container towards himself, grabbing himself one before pushing the rest towards the others and silently gesturing at them to help themselves.

Chan thought as he ate, deciding he could also rule out Seungmin as a potential suspect. There was always the possibility that Seungmin could have been using some kind of reverse psychology to get attention off himself, but Chan doubted it. Seungmin was cute, but he wasn’t Chan’s type, and Chan figured he wasn’t Seungmin’s type either.

Seungmin seemed much more likely to fall for someone like Changbin. If he hadn’t already done so already.

That only left a few more suspects. Chan watched one of them with a quirked eyebrow, observing as Minho grabbed a cookie. He strutted across the room with it, planting himself in Jisung’s lap and placing the cookie between his teeth. He leaned forward so that Jisung could bite the other end, the two of them eating it lady-in-the-tramp style.

Chan turned away with a gag.

He figured that, from that show alone, he could definitely rule out Minho.

That was when the door opened again, Jeongin and Felix walking in with their arms linked.

Felix had obviously showered since bumping into Chan earlier. He was no longer sweaty and his hair was a lot fluffier than before. He was wearing a short-sleeved black blouse and black cargo pants, rainbow bracelets adorning his wrists and rainbow laces intertwined in his boots. There was an adorable but threatening aura to the way that he looked.

It was _hot._

Felix smiled when he met eyes with Chan, his gaze moving to the cookies everyone was eating and his face shining a little brighter as Chan watched him.

The suspicion once more started to curl in Chan’s mind.

“You ready, Minnie-hyung?” Jeongin said, shaking Chan from his thoughts as he felt Seungmin stand up from next to him.

“Yeah, you promised me a smoothie!” Felix pouted at Seungmin, looking all kinds of cute. Chan wondered how Seungmin had the nerve to roll his eyes whilst that pout was directed at him, Chan probably would have collapsed.

“I’ll buy you the stupid smoothie, Lix,” Seungmin said, smiling jokingly as he went to link arms with Felix’s other side.

Him, Felix and Jeongin all waved goodbye to everyone, turning with matching smiles on their faces. They chattered as they walked out the door, the conversation obviously familiar and light between them, like it would be between old friends.

But Chan didn’t miss the teasing looks Seungmin and Jeongin gave Felix, the kind that suggested they knew he was up to something. Seungmin and Jeongin both turned to look at Chan as they left, matching smirks on their young maknae faces.

Chan tilted his head.

There was definitely something he was missing.

“Ah, typical maknaes,” Changbin tsked once the three of them were gone, turning back to his computer with a roll of his eyes, “Always leaving their hyungs out.”

“Do those three know each other well?” Chan said, directing his question to the room as he tried to work things out, “Felix, Seungmin and Joengin, do they… do they do stuff together a lot?”

“Oh yeah,” Minho nodded, “They’re all devils. If one of them was up to something, the other two would definitely know about it.”

Chan hummed, turning back to the door and staring at where Felix had been standing with Seungmin and Jeongin only moments before. Chan thought of the knowing looks Seungmin and Jeongin had given him, of the way both of them seemed to know that something was going on.

More and more puzzle pieces started to fall into place.

~

It didn’t take long for the whole puzzle to shatter.

It was late, the company building quiet and almost empty as the clock ticked closer to midnight. Chan was still working making his way down various corridors and speaking to all the higher-ups before he planned to go back to his office to settle himself in front of his tracks for the night.

They may have been getting ahead of themselves, but 3racha were very close to completing their first mixtape and they were extremely excited about it. Chan had resolved to stay up late finishing all the producing and then Changbin and Jisung were going to come in early to finish the lyrics.

They were scheduled to be finished within the week.

Which meant they had all been working hard. Thoughts of Chan’s admirer had been put on the backburner for the moment and he was looking forward to finally being done with the mixtape, so he could have some time to figure out a way to not only finally find out who the suspect was, but also a way to pay them back. 

Chan had figured that they’d been silent recently because they were letting him work. He didn’t realise that he wasn’t quite right in that thinking.

He arrived back to his office long after midnight, rubbing at his eyes and running a hand through his hair. He was tired, but not quite tired enough to go to sleep yet.

However, all thoughts of going to sleep were thrown right out the window when Chan walked through his office door and jumped at a sight he most definitely was _not_ expecting.

“Oh my god!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Chan felt his exclamation die on his tongue, over-powered by the panicked scream he got in response. He tried to process what was in front of him, feeling a million emotions explode inside him as he tried to make sense of the puzzle pieces that were now forming very different a picture to what Chan had been expecting.

Every suspicion he’d ever had shattered into pieces in his mind.

“Hyung!” the cause of the shatter yelled, Hyunjin whipping around from where he was hunched over Chan’s desk, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Chan felt his mouth drop open, a million questions getting lost on his tongue as he realised what was going on. Hyunjin had a hot coffee cup clasped in one of his hands, a heart drawn boldly on its cup sleeve. He also had a plushie koala gripped under his arm, a pink note attached softly to its fur, all of it about to be placed gently down on Chan’s desk.

As much as Chan wanted to try, the sight in front of him was very hard to deny.

And, considering everything that had happened over the past few weeks, Chan knew _exactly_ what Hyunjin was up to.

There was a part of Chan that was admittedly flattered. The koala was positively adorable, and the thoughts of Australia were a nice touch. The idea of someone leaving him a drink to help him stay awake was also extremely sweet and exactly the type of thing Chan had always fantasised about when thinking about relationships.

But Chan was also confused… and shocked.

_Hyunjin_ was the mystery gift-giver?

_Hyunjin?_

The puzzle pieces fell apart in Chan’s mind.

Realistically, Chan knew that it could have been anyone, that any of his co-workers could have been the mystery culprit, but he was admittedly surprised that it was Hyunjin.

There was also a part of Chan that was a little disappointed. Chan liked Hyunjin, but he’d been secretly hoping that it was someone else who’d been leaving the gifts, someone else who Chan would have a chance with.

Someone with a very bright smile that Chan had maybe been falling a little bit in love with.

“Hyunjin,” Chan eventually said, breaking the silence and taking a firm step towards Hyunjin, who still looked absolutely terrified.

“Hyung!” Hyunjin said again, scrambling to put everything down on the desk and then wave his hands frantically in front of his face, “I know what this looks like, but I can explain!”

“It’s okay, Hyunjin,” Chan said, making sure to keep his voice level as he took another step forward, “You don’t need to panic or anything. I know what you’ve been doing. I’m just surprised is all.”

“No, hyung, you don’t understand!” Hyunjin said before Chan could even get the words out, his voice practically begging to be understood, “This!” Hyunjin waved at all the gifts on the desk, “This isn’t me!”

Chan paused, his gaze snapping down to where Hyunjin was gesturing and then back up to Hyunjin’s panicked face. Confusion sparked through him at the way Hyunjin appeared so flustered. It wasn’t an in-love kind of flustered, it was panicked. 

Hyunjin wasn’t looking at Chan with love, or with need, or with anything to suggest that he had any kind of desire to leave gifts on Chan’s desk. Instead, he just looked caught-off-guard, like he’d tangled himself up in a situation that actually wasn’t much to do with him.

If the look on Hyunjin’s face told Chan anything, it was that he was most certainly not the secret admirer.

Chan didn’t know whether or not he was relieved by that.

It was good to know that Chan wasn’t going to be breaking Hyunjin’s heart anytime soon, but that did mean Chan was back to square one on figuring out who the hell had captured his heart. There was also the question of why the hell was Hyunjin leaving gifts if he wasn’t the one with the crush on Chan.

Eventually, Chan just furrowed his eyebrows at Hyunjin, pinning him with a look to suggest that he better start talking.

“Hyunjin,” he said, tone firm, “What is going on?”

Hyunjin visibly deflated, a loud huff leaving his lips as he ran a hand through his long, messy hair. He seemed to think about the question for a few moments, avoiding Chan’s eyes before looking right at him.

“I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to tell you,” Hyunjin said, “But I know you were definitely not supposed to catch me today.”

“ _Today_?” Chan raised an eyebrow, “Have you left these things for me before?!”

“No, no, no!” Hyunjin was quick to say, waving his hands out in front of him, “This is my first time! And, as far as I know, this is the first time the person has been too busy to do it themselves.”

Chan tilted his head, letting the words sink in for a moment, “So you know who they are?” he asked, “And they asked you to do this for them because they’re busy tonight?”

“Uhhh… yes and no,” Hyunjin said, pausing for a few moments before he seemed to figure out his words, “I don’t actually know who they are for sure, but I’ve got my suspicions. Jeongin definitely knows them, I’m pretty certain that he was the one they asked to do this tonight, but because I’m the assistant the job was handed to me.”

Chan blinked, letting the words sink in for a moment.

So, Hyunjin definitely wasn’t the one leaving the gifts, which was admittedly more of a relief than Chan had originally realised. The only thing Hyunjin really did have to offer was clues and Chan was going to take all of them he could get.

Whoever it was, as expected, was apparently very close to Jeongin.

They were also very sweet, knew how to bake, were quiet enough to sneak under the radar and had easy access to Chan’s desk.

They were also not Hyunjin, not Minho, not Changbin, not Jisung, not Seungmin and not Jeongin.

Chan’s eyes widened.

_If it wasn’t any of those people, then it had to be…_

“Hyunjin,” Chan looked back up at Hyunjin with a snap, making him jump, “You mentioned that whoever wanted to leave this was busy tonight, right?”

Hyunjin nodded, looking confused about where Chan could be taking the conversation.

“Okay good,” Chan said, pursing his lips for a few seconds before working up the courage to say what needed to be said next, “So, do you happen to know what Felix is up to tonight?”

Hyunjin’s jaw dropped.

~

Felix, as it turned out, was scheduled to be holed up in a dance studio for the whole night.

Apparently, the company had been coming down hard on dance deadlines recently and, as a result, Felix and Minho had been handed a load of extra work. Neither of them had complained about it so the rest of the group didn’t know, but Chan knew it must have been hard for them, so he was determined to help out.

At least that’s why he told himself he was abandoning all his work to go find Felix in the middle of the night. It definitely had nothing to do with his new favourite koala plushie and still-hot green tea that he was holding in his hands and was very determined to thank Felix for.

Chan was definitely not on his way to confess.

Definitely not.

Chan guessed he could be kind of thankful for Felix’s sudden additional work hours, because it meant that Felix wasn’t very far away and was extremely easy to find. It gave Chan less time to lose his nerve, making him even more determined to find him.

The dance corridor was emptier than Chan had ever seen it; most of the corridor lights were off and the usual volume of music that would be playing was toned right down. Usually, there’d be at least three different songs echoing from various studios.

But, tonight, there was only one song. And only one studio with a strip of light visible under the door.

Chan smiled, walking towards it and carefully turning the door handle. He opened the door quietly, stepping into the room with his heart in his throat.

Fortunately for Chan, Felix had the music so loud that he didn’t hear Chan come in. But also, unfortunately for Chan, that meant Felix kept dancing and Chan felt like he was about to have a heart attack as he watched him.

Felix was dancing to what sounded like a Chungha song, his movements clean and smooth and his body rippling in a way that had to be illegal. He was wearing a black crop-top with ripped grey sweatpants. There was a cap on his head but the studio lights meant Chan could still see the sweat on his forehead and Felix’s hair falling out the front.

Also, whenever Felix raised his head, Chan got a flash of the sultry look in his eyes and his legs practically turned to jelly.

Through all his flower-choosing and cookie-baking cuteness, Chan had forgotten that Felix was also deadly.

Which meant that Chan was completely unprepared when the song finally ended and Felix finished in a position with his arms outstretched, his stomach and abs completely on show and his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths that Chan could practically feel in his own lungs.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds, broken only by Felix’s fast breaths. Chan hardly dared to move, stood against the wall gripping his tea so tight he was surprised the cup hadn’t crumpled in his hand.

It took a few seconds for Felix to leave whatever world his dancing had taken him to, the electric look in his eyes slowly fading away and leaving the kind and vulnerable boy that Felix was. He looked tired, but that didn’t stop him from jumping about a foot in the air when he spotted Chan in the mirror.

“Oh my god!” Felix exclaimed, a hand on his chest as he whipped round, staring at Chan like he was a ghost that had just appeared in the room, “Don’t sneak up on me like that, hyung!”

“I’m sorry,” Chan couldn’t hold back a smile, having the decency to at least try at look apologetic when Felix narrowed his eyes at him, “I just really needed to see you.”

Felix’s face became puzzled, his head tilting in confusion and his eyes sparkling with intrigue. He opened his mouth, probably about to ask what Chan meant, but then his gaze landed on what Chan was holding in his hands and his jaw dropped.

Felix floundered for a few seconds, his throat working and cheeks going pink before he attempted to level his gaze. Chan watched him, confused about what had gotten Felix so flustered until he realised he was still holding the gifts that Felix had been trying to sneakily leave for him.

“W-Where did you get those?” Felix asked, his voice shaky despite how hard he was clearly trying to keep it steady.

Chan couldn’t hold back a giggle, turning to gently put the koala and the drink on the floor before he stood up again, staring at Felix with a large smile on his face.

“I think we both know where I got these from, you little pickle.” he said, voice gentle but with hints of teasing.

Felix visibly deflated, closing his eyes and taking his cap off to run a hand through his hair before shoving it back on his head.

“I knew I never should have trusted Jeongin with such an important task,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head before looking back up at Chan.

“Actually,” Chan took a step forward, getting closer to Felix, “It was Hyunjin that I managed to catch. If it had been Jeongin, it might have taken me a bit longer to figure this out.”

“That’s even worse,” Felix laughed around the words, smiling at Chan to show that he didn’t really mind being caught, “The one time I don’t do it myself, the idiots manage to give me away.”

“I’m glad they did,” Chan said, his voice honest as he continued to slowly move forward, only stopping when he was less than a foot away from Felix, “You’ve no idea how agonising it’s been trying to find you.”

“I promise I was never trying to tease you, hyung,” Felix said, hints of nervousness twinkling in his gaze, “I just wanted to… to make you feel special.”

Chan couldn’t hold back a grin, “Was that a Twice reference?”

Felix spluttered, whacking Chan in the shoulder when he burst out laughing, “You know what I mean!”

Both their laughter echoed through the room as they stared at each other. Chan waited for the mood to calm down a little, hesitantly shuffling forward and holding out a hand.

An adorable look of surprise came over Felix’s face when he spotted it, shyly reaching forward to tangle his hand with Chan’s. Warmth spread through both their arms, Chan rubbing his thumb over the back of Felix’s palm.

“I hope you know I’m thankful for everything you did,” Chan eventually said, Felix looking up at him with doe, childlike eyes, “The flowers were beautiful and the brownies were delicious and the cookies were literally the best thing I ever tasted.”

Felix smiled around a laugh, “You’ve no idea how many batches of cookies I made trying to make them perfect.”

“Wait,” Chan raised his eyebrows, “There’s _more_ cookies?!”

“I’m pretty sure Jeongin and Seungmin inhaled most of them,” Felix giggled, “Apparently, even the failed attempts tasted pretty good.”

“Wow,” Chan said with a smile, “You really are a talented little pickle.”

Felix blushed at the nickname, his shoulders tensing and little button nose wrinkling as he ducked his gaze. Chan giggled, moving his hands onto Felix’s shoulders so he could pull him closer, one arm wrapping around the back of his waist as he held him. He could practically feel Felix’s pulse thrumming at his fingertips, could feel how it was racing with nerves, intrigue and absolute wonder.

“You didn’t mind any of it did you, hyung?” Felix eventually whispered, his face staring straight into Chan’s, his eyes searching all over him, “You didn’t mind the mystery? That I kept leaving you things without ever asking?”

“Honestly,” Chan said, a hand coming up to cup Felix’s cheek, “I always thought the mystery was kinda hot.”

With that, Chan pushed back, keeping Felix tight in his arms as he moved them both. He pushed back, back, further back, until Felix hit the dance studio mirror with a small gasp, his feet stumbling underneath him and his hands automatically finding their way onto Chan’s shoulders.

Chan used the arm around Felix’s waist to protect him, to keep him upright and make sure he didn’t slam into the mirror too hard. Then, once Chan was sure Felix was okay, he moved his hand off Felix’s face and swiped it upwards, knocking the cap off Felix’s head.

A shaky breath left Felix’s mouth, his lips parted and eyes glittering under the studio lights. Chan couldn’t help but notice how he looked absolutely ethereal like that, his eyes so deep and so wondrous that Chan felt he could just fall into them.

This was the boy who’d baked Chan cookies, who reminded Chan of home, who felt absolutely perfect and snug in Chan’s arms.

“Hyung,” Felix said breathlessly, his chest rising and falling, his hair splayed messily against the mirror behind him, “What are you doing?”

“I was hoping,” Chan leaned in, his voice quiet and almost nervous, “That I could give you a gift back, if you’re okay with it.”

Felix nodded so hard he almost slammed his head into the mirror, Chan giggling as he moved a hand up to protect him. He carefully closed the distance between them, both of them smiling as they got closer and closer to one another.

There was one moment, one tiny moment, when their lips were barely touching, only slightly brushing against each other as they both stilled.

Chan could feel his whole body tingling with anticipation, his veins feeling like lightning under his skin, rocketships zigzagging through his blood.

Only one more second passed before neither of them could take it anymore.

Their lips met in the middle, slamming into each other with weeks’ worth of desperation. Chan’s arms immediately tightened their hold, one of his hands tangled in Felix’s hair and the other squeezing all the way round his waist.

They moved in sync against one another, exhilaration exploding like fireworks around them. Felix’s lips felt soft against Chan’s, tasting like cookies and happiness and just ever-so-slightly of sweat.

It made Chan pull Felix closer, made him want more.

Felix seemed only happy to oblige, his arms winding around Chan’s neck and his kiss strengthening. He kissed like he wanted nothing more in the world, like he could do it forever, like he was only there to be held and treasured.

They both felt like they would never be anywhere else in the world, like they only ever belonged together.

It made Chan pull away, his eyes admiring Felix face for a second before he leaned back in to pepper kisses all over Felix’s skin. He started with his cheeks, hitting as many freckles as possible before moving to his forehead.

Felix giggled and screeched like a child, his hands batting at Chan’s shoulders and his breaths fast and shallow like he hadn’t managed to breathe properly in a while.

Chan felt the same. He was pretty sure he hadn’t taken in oxygen in an unhealthy amount of time, but that didn’t matter when he started kissing Felix’s neck and Felix started squealing that he was ticklish, his laughter echoing all around the studio.

It was music to Chan’s ears.

Eventually, Chan decided to give Felix a break, pulling back with a huge grin on his face. Felix just glared at him playfully, his hair plastered all over his forehead and his lips bright red and swollen.

Chan wanted kissed him all over again.

He almost did. He tried to close the distance between them again and made it halfway to Felix’s face before he was stopped by Felix’s fingers landing on his lips, smushing them together playfully and pushing him away.

“As much as I would like _that_ to happen again,” Felix said, grinning wickedly at the way Chan raised his eyebrows at him, “I have one last gift for you first.”

Chan’s face changed from challenging to surprised, his head tilting as warmth started to spread through his chest.

“But you’ve already given me so many gifts,” Chan pouted, “This isn’t fair to you.”

“Stop looking at me like that,” Felix whined, flicking Chan on the side of the face, “It’s just a small gift, I promise. And it’s the most important one yet.”

Chan had to admit he was intrigued by that, forcing himself to detach from Felix’s warmth and stepping away so that Felix could move past. Felix took hold of his hand, giving him a million-dollar smile before leading him across the room.

They both dropped to the floor by Felix’s bag, Felix letting of Chan’s hand to open it and ruffle inside. Chan could only watch with his heart in his throat, wondering what could be small but still important enough that Felix wanted to gift it to Chan now.

His confusion only grew when Felix pulled out a tiny plastic pot, rattling it to show Chan that there was only something tiny inside. Chan furrowed his brows, wondering what the hell it could be.

“Here,” Felix said as he handed it over, squirming slightly and biting at his lips. Chan made a point of brushing his hand over Felix’s as he took the gift, trying to quell his nerves.

“It’s okay, pickle,” Chan smiled, “I’m sure I’ll love it no matter what.”

Felix just nodded, waiting in silence as Chan looked down at the pot. He brushed his fingers over the lid, allowing himself one more moment to bask in the mystery before he opened it.

Inside, looking perfect and cute and tiny just like Felix was, was a pink heart-shaped cookie decorated with silver sprinkles. Chan giggled as he looked at it, admiring just how perfectly Felix had managed to make the heart.

It was oddly childish; something not too serious and yet still full of love. It reminded Chan of the little homemade cards his younger siblings used to give him for his birthday.

It made Chan feel even more at home with Felix.

But then Chan noticed the cookie wasn’t the only thing in the box. It was resting on a small, folded-up note written on pink paper.

Chan reached in for the note, seeing Felix fidget in the corner of his eyes. Chan had a sudden feeling that the note was the real gift being given to him.

He took his time opening it, once more enjoying the thrill of Felix’s excellent gift-giving abilities. He remembered the notes Felix had given him before, telling him to have a good day and to take care of himself and to enjoy the sweetness of his life.

But this note was different; this note had Chan’s heart jumping into his throat and fairies dancing on his chest and happiness glittering like gold under his skin.

The note, written in beautiful swirly hand-writing, read:

_Christopher Bang, will you go out on a date with me?_

Chan squealed like a child, dropping the pot to the side and throwing himself forward to tackle Felix to the ground. Their chests pressed together, Felix’s back hitting the floor and a squeak of surprise leaving his mouth as Chan pressed a firm peck against his lips.

“Little pickle,” Chan said, letting Felix catch his breath as he stared him in the eyes, “I would love to go on a date with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> chan calling felix pickle and kissing him against a dance studio mirror?? i am such a self-indulgent writer
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! not one of my most creative stories but i had so much fun with it. i hope you enjoyed it too <33
> 
> fun fact: the way lix asks chan out (with the note and the heart-shaped cookie) was actually how i was asked to prom. ik that probably doesn't mean a lot to anyone, but it meant a lot to me and it was really nice to write chanlix in that way xx
> 
> twitter: @hotelfelixxie
> 
> have a magical day <3


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